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Tibetan Woodblock Printing: an Ancient Art and Craft HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies Volume 36 Number 1 Article 17 May 2016 Tibetan Woodblock Printing: An Ancient Art and Craft Dungkar Lobzang Trinlé Tsering Dhundup Gonkatsang Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya Recommended Citation Trinlé, Dungkar Lobzang and Gonkatsang, Tsering Dhundup. 2016. Tibetan Woodblock Printing: An Ancient Art and Craft. HIMALAYA 36(1). Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/himalaya/vol36/iss1/17 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. This Perspectives is brought to you for free and open access by the DigitalCommons@Macalester College at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Tibetan Woodblock Printing: An Ancient Art and Craft1 Dungkar Lobzang Trinlé Translated from Tibetan by Tsering D. Gonkatsang Introduction costs; rules and regulations governing the printing and publishing houses; life of the wood-carved blocks; and the From the time that the printing of Tibetan language first efficiency of the printers. began in the early fifteenth century up to now [1997], some 578 years have passed. After the ‘Peaceful Liberation’ of Advantages of Woodblock Printing of Ancient Texts and Tibet, the nature of printing and publications in Tibetan Books language developed, using more mechanical and automat- ed processes. Especially after the Third Forum meeting of Reduction of Spelling Errors the Eleventh Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Communist Party [CCCP], a new era of applying advanced Prior to 1425,3 at a time when the art of printing had electronic and computerised technology was ushered in not yet been introduced in Tibet, all ancient texts were for printing and publications in the Tibetan language. handwritten manuscripts or copies thereof. As these were often copies of copies, many texts were not subjected to If the publishing of ancient Tibetan printed texts and stringent proofreading, and errors abounded. Many of books succeeds, the task of promoting the culture and those ancient scriptures written in gold and silver are un- education of Tibet receives a boost; this would help to lay doubtedly works of art in terms of calligraphy and artistic a foundation for exploring, importing, and incorporating skills, and, therefore, merit analysis and research as items new knowledge and culture from abroad by revisiting the of cultural heritage. However, as most of them were not history and experience of how the ten major and minor proofread carefully, there are numerous spelling errors sciences were adapted and localised in the past. In partic- caused by omissions or the extra insertion of letters. In ad- ular, it would constitute a significant contribution to the dition, as many of these ancient texts were written in [the defense of the unity of the Motherland in practical terms difficult to read] ü-mé script, with frequent use of abbre- by refuting a small number of critics, both at home and viated words, disparate in terms of spelling, handwriting, abroad, who accuse the Communist Party of vandalising to and limited scope of distribution, they lacked the inherent extinction the cultural heritage of the Tibetan people. potential to standardize Tibetan language, orthography, Tséring Püntsok has done an historical analysis of the and grammar. development of printing and publication in Tibet in his Sparing the Tedious Work of Hand-copying Original Texts book Discussion of Printing and Printing Houses in Old Tibet (Snga rabs bod kyi par skrun dang par khang gi skor gleng ba).2 Despite the relatively large number of people interested in I shall supplement that research with information on the reading and studying important scriptural texts, the work pros and cons of the printing of ancient woodblock Tibetan of copying and writing such texts by hand was an onerous texts; on the job experiences; duration of the printing and prolonged undertaking. It was also very hard to look process; work division and categories; crafts and skills for and find a reliable and balanced collection of ma - required; wages, salaries, and rewards offered; printing HIMALAYA Volume 36, Number 1 | 163 ter texts from which to copy. Printing spared interested tional disintegration followed by the revival of the Buddha readers the tedium of having to copy texts. Likewise, given dharma [11th – 14th century], and (d) the period when the high rate of wear and tear of the woodprint blocks in woodblock printing flourished in Tibet [post 14th century] printing, it is convenient to have the first or second print The ancient texts dating from these four periods are copies of the new wooden blocks as master copies to carve indispensable primary resources for undertaking research out further woodprint blocks. on the Tibetan language, the textual as well as the lingua franca of communication among Tibetans in Amdo, Kham Satisfies the Needs of Wider Readership through and Ü-Tsang regions. Such ancient texts are valuable Greater Distribution sources of information and research about the economic It is true that no more than about 150 complete sets of the conditions and development, problems relating to travel canon, the Kangyur (Bka’ ’gyur) and Tengyur (Bstan ’gyur), and transportation, characteristics of a common language, and other voluminous religious texts could be completed the differences and contradictions between and among in a year. As for other texts that comprised only a couple of dialects and languages. volumes, about two hundred and fifty copies a year could be printed. These days, only about seventy complete sets Timeframe for Getting AncientTibetan Texts and Books of Kangyur and Tengyur can be printed in a year. Printed The printing of the Narthang4 Kangyur began in the Easier to Search for and Protect Original Texts through autumn of 1730 and was completed in the first month of Editorial Work Tibetan calendar year in 1732, taking only about a year and Given the rarity of original manuscripts, printing also a half. In contrast, the printing work on the Dégé5 Kangyur helps to protect the originals and to provide for a wider work had started a year before the printing of the Nart- distribution. Otherwise, rare texts, especially those that hang Kangyur began, but it was completed a year after the are the only extant version, are at risk of loss. The fact that Narthang. many rare and precious manuscripts have gone missing The printing of the Narthang Tengyur began in the third from libraries may have a number of causes, but one of Tibetan month of 1741 and was completed in the tenth the most obvious is the fact that further copies were not Tibetan month of 1742, taking a total of a year and seven printed. Therefore, the printing and publication of rare, months to finish. The printing of Dégé Tengyur was started single-copy manuscripts could only enhance the value and three years and eleven months prior to that of the Nart- benefit of such items of cultural heritage and enlarge the hang Tengyur, and was completed a year and six months readership. after the Narthang Tengyur. The Dégé Tengyur took five years and six months to complete. Helps to Standardize Spelling, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Language In terms of sheer motivation and drive, both sets of spon- sors who had commissioned the printings of the Narthang In the fifteenth century, in the Iron-Tiger year 1410 CE, and Dégé Kangyur and Tengyur, respectively, were equally sets of the Tibetan-language Kangyur were printed and committed. However, in terms of resources, Polhané (Pho published in Nanjing. The very first set was offered to the la ba Bsod nams stobs rgyas, 1689-1747), [the individual monastery at Wutai Mountain [in Shanxi Province]. Copies who sponsored the Narthang printing], was the King of the from the second print set were offered respectively to the whole of Tibetan region whereas the King of Dégé was only Karmapa, Phakdru and Jé Tsongkhapa. Since then, knowl- a local power who ruled over an area that was part of the edge and skills of printing spread throughout Tibet. Grad- territory of the Regional Tibetan Government. Insights and ually the writings of many lama-scholars of various sects understanding can be gained by considering their relative were printed, which indirectly helped the process of stan- differences in terms of workforce strength, wage levels, dardising and fostering a pan-Tibetan national language. total expenses etc. in printing the Narthang and Dégé ver- It also helped greatly in consolidating and preserving the sions of the Kangyur and Tengyur. previously standardized and unified system of grammatical rules, and vocabulary, etc. When the Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, com- missioned the woodblock carvings of the Kangyur, the Broadly, we can identify four periods when the art of undertaking remained incomplete after carving only producing ancient texts flourished in Tibet: (a) the pre- twenty-eight volumes, principally the Large (Śatasāhasrikā), seventh century, (b) the early diffusion of the Buddha Middle (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā), and Short (Aṣṭasāhasrikā) Per- dharma period [7th to 11th century], (c) the period of na- 164 | HIMALAYA Spring 2016 fection of Wisdom Sutras (Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra). However, by (a) First proofreader (Smar zhus pa) cross-checked the the time that the printing of the Kangyur volumes began at accuracy of the words, pagination, and chapter divisions Narthang, the skilled craftsmen managed to carve sixteen between the original paper copy and the engraved wood- to twenty-three woodblocks per month; the mediocre block print. craftsmen finished fifteen to eighteen woodblocks, wit (b) Second proofreader (Bskyar zhus pa) checked the some managing eight to twelve; but, the majority could quality of handwriting and uniformity of letter-size in the finish five to seven woodblocks a month.
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